Stripes of a Tiger
by AnimationGirl
Summary: Everything has a beginning and everything has an end. Follow Tigress' life through one-shots, all containing moments of the journey she went through to become who she is.
1. Adventure

A/N: Yeah… This is my 'get-rid-of-writer's-block-story. I'll only update it when I feel like it. But… Yeah… You know, when I come up with something, I just have to do it.

And I want to thank my number one fan NJ7009! Seriously, she helped me with all the words that I am going to use and they have now been decided! All the way from A to Å (Danish letter; the last one)! Thanks!

I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

**Stripes of a Tiger  
Adventure **

"This is the Jade Palace," Shifu said as they finally reached the top of the stairs. Tigress was quietly following him; the many steps had made her tired.

But her golden eyes widened when she saw what was lying in front of her. A palace… In the last years she had not even dared to believe that she would live in a house. That she would get out of the orphanage…

And now she was here.

Either she was just incredible lucky… Or maybe she truly deserved this happiness.

Little Tigress was pulled out of her thought as she suddenly saw the old turtle that was standing at the entrance, waiting for them. Her mouth dropped as she realized who it was.

Master Oogway was smiling gently to her, but then turned his eyes to Shifu. "I see you have brought a new face with you home."

Shifu nodded. "Yes, I…" He then noticed how Tigress was standing some steps behind her, obviously a bit scared of meeting the Grandmaster. With a light scowl, the red panda quickly shoved her forward with his staff. "This is Tigress."

Remembering her manners, Tigress quickly bowed and remained in that position.

Oogway leaned closer to her. "Hello, little one."

Tigress blushed slightly but remained quiet. Shifu looked from her to Oogway, then sighed. "Tigress, please try and explore the palace. I will join you soon, but first I have to discuss something very important with Master Oogway."

Tigress nodded, though, she was still a bit unsure about entering those mighty halls alone.

But Shifu's hand told her to go. "But do not touch anything," he suddenly said. "We have a lot of fragile things."

"Yes, Shifu," she said, before walking closer to the buildings, leaving the two masters alone. She knew that Shifu had not meant it on that way; they both knew that her training had helped her a lot. But still, she could not help but wonder if the comment truly was directed towards her mistakes.

But as she opened the doors that led into a big hall, she understood that the comment was meant for everyone. When she looked around, she could see vases, all kind of weapon, paintings… All important and precious things, all having something to do with Kung Fu and the masters that were using it.

"Wow…" the cub said, not being able to be quiet about how impressed she was. In the end of the room was a little pool and Tigress, curious as she was, could not help but touch the surface with her paw.

Another tiger cub was smiling to her, and Tigress stared back at it. That was when she saw the dragon in the reflection. Looking up, she saw the same dragon, and also the scroll was there.

What did it mean? Was did the scroll say?

And most important; why was the scroll in the ceiling?

Tigress, who had used most of her life in the orphanage, did not know much about Kung Fu's history. But understanding that she would never be able to reach it, Tigress decided to leave the room. Right now, she was sure she would have much time to spend here in the future.

The next hall was… different. No expensive vases… But there were weapons. "The training hall…" she said softly, as she realized it.

But when she understood the sight, her stomach suddenly twisted. What she saw in front of her was not dominoes. There were clubs with spikes, dummies with spikes, rings with spikes…

Tigress gulped. Going from dominoes to such things that were was not easy.

When would she ever be able to do any of this?

Eyes setting on what she recognized as a big turtle-formed bowl, Tigress walked forward. What was this? Remembering one of the few tricks Shifu had taught her, the cub quickly jumped up to land on the bowl's edge.

Looking down, she started to scowl as realized that nothing was inside. And she had been so excited…

"Tigress?"

Not expecting someone to call her name, Tigress body tensed up in shock and after a second she fell forwards, losing her balance. "Whoah!" She landed heavily, but quickly got up on knees and elbows.

"Tigress?" the voice called again, closer this time.

Tigress now recognized it, and exclaimed happily, "Shifu!" As she tried to jump out of the bowl, she only lost her balance again, and her face kissed the bottom of it again.

Hearing her angry hiss, Shifu chuckled for himself. "I see you have found the Jade Tortoise of Wisdom."

Scowling, Tigress walked backwards, her body crouching down. She then ran forwards, pushing her body against the round wall of jade. It worked. The big bowl became unbalanced and as it tipped over, Tigress came stumbling out.

She stopped rolling exactly in front of Shifu's feet and she looked up from the ground to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry…" she muttered quickly, before rolling over to get up on her feet.

Shifu held up a hand to stop her apologies. "You came out; that's the important."

Tigress looked back to the big bowl. "I hope there exists another way to get out of it…" she muttered, not wanting to do what she just had done again. One time was enough.

"This is the training hall," Shifu said, and Tigress looked around for the second time. "But," the red panda said, "We will first start your training tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Tigress asked breathless. "But, Shifu, I-"

Once again, he held up a hand to stop her. "You will manage it. And we will of course start with something on your level."

"Something without spikes?"

"Probably."

Taking in a deep breath, Tigress said, "Okay." She could do that. The start was always the worst, right?

"And from now on, Tigress, you will call me 'Master' as you are now my student."

"Yes, Shi… Master Shifu," she quickly corrected herself.

He nodded and then started to walk out of the hall. Tigress followed him, unsure of what else she could do. "What now?" she asked him quietly. "Master," she quickly added.

"I will show you your room," he answered her as they walked towards the barracks.

"My room?" she asked, surprised. Was she really going to…? Yes, of course she was. But the thought of having a whole new room still surprised her a bit.

Shifu nodded again and led her further into the hallway. To both of her sides were many paper doors, and she started to wonder which of them belonged to the room that would be hers.

Her master stopped and she did the same. He then pushed one of the doors open, and stepped back so she could look.

With mouth agape, Tigress walked closer. This was not like the orphanage at all. This room was lighter, clean.

Not broken.

There were only a bed and a little dresser, but Tigress could not be more amazed.

She looked back at Shifu to see if it was truly real, and he nodded, wearing a small smile. "And I can stay?" she asked, as if she could not believe it.

"Yes, the Jade Palace will now be your home, and I am sure that you will bring it honor."

She stared at him, until her face changed into one big grin. "Thank you," she said.

Shifu looked surprised, mildly shocked, as he had not expected that reaction. "Uhm… I…" He cleared his throat. "I believe dinner will soon be ready. Let's go to the kitchen."

She murmured a 'yes' and walked with him out of the barracks. Seeing how he had placed his hands behind his back, she did the same.

"And if you have any questions, then remember to ask them," her master said.

"Okay."

There was silence in a while until,

"Shifu? I mean; Master?"

"Yes."

"Where's the bathroom?"

* * *

A/N: And here is the first chapter of this collection. I hope you like it, because you will soon get more.

Next letter; B. Word; Battle.


	2. Battle

A/N: Thank you for the welcome. I hope you are looking forward to this. Well... B. So yeah, thank you for the reviews and favorites.

I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

**Stripes of a Tiger  
Battle **

She did not want to admit it, but right now she was scared. Her heart was pounding against her chest, her body was shaking slightly and her hearing was reduced to whispers.

This was not the training hall. There were no dummies, no training obstacles. There were no corrections to what she was doing and there was no way to get a second chance.

This was the real world. This was reality.

And she was scared.

She knew she was not supposed to feel like this. She had spent the last years training. She could do this. Shifu believed in her.

They were just some bandits. Not a giant threat to China; not even to the Jade Palace. Just some few stupid boars.

But it was reality.

Tigress took in a deep breath, eyeing the enemy that was running towards her.

_She could do this. _

She was a Kung Fu Warrior. She had been trained strictly to do things like this. In training hall she was confidence.

But now she was a coward.

She knew that things could go wrong. Very wrong. If she got hit, she could not take a break to bandage the wound. She could not just stop to catch her breath.

Now there was only one chance.

With a snarl, Tigress ran forward to meet her opponent. Jumping in the last second, she twirled around to kick his chest and then a punch to his head.

The boar stumbled backwards, holding his now sore nose. He stared at the young tiger in wonder, but then turned to look at his two allies. "Well, well," he said slowly, while grinning. "It looks like the little kitty can fight."

"Even without her master," the second one grunted.

"Did you run away from him, little girl?" the third and the last one asked.

But Tigress had, under one of her trips through the valley, stumbled across the bandits that had been carrying bags full of what she recognized as stolen, and expensive, jewelry. Reminding herself of that she soon would turn eleven, Tigress had decided to not fetch her master, but take them out alone.

Now she was not sure if she had taken the right choice.

Eyes focused on the knives they were now holding, Tigress repeated training lessons in her mind. Why was she so freaked out? She could this. Even without Shifu.

Raising her head, she told them loudly, "I am giving you one last chance to return the jewelry, or else I'll have to fight you."

The bandits looked at each other before breaking into laughter. "Doesn't she look cute when she says that?!" one of them exclaimed while wiping away a tear from his eye.

Tigress scowled; she was truly aware of how young she was. But she was still Shifu's student and she could still fight.

Actually, she could fight well. She had tried it before. Now she just had to see how good these guys were.

She growled, and that seemed to get the boars to understand that she truly meant it.

The made themselves ready, holding their weapons, while Tigress took her fighting stance. Two of them ran towards her, but she waited until they were close enough; she then swung her leg, tripping them.

One of the fell in her direction, knife still pointing towards her, but she grabbed the arm, holding him still. A kick to his head and then using his chest to jump from; landing directly onto the other boar.

They hit the ground roughly, and for some seconds Tigress was dizzy. But she looked up just in time to see the third bandit swinging his knife down towards her. She rolled away and instead the blade hit the boar that still had not coming up from the ground.

Luckily for him, it did not touch his body, but it went through his shirt and got stuck in the dirt; keeping him trapped.

Tigress quickly kicked him in the head before he could touch the knife, and he lost his conscious. Now there was only two left.

The tiger took in a breath; she had done it! One enemy was defeated and Shifu had not even been there! It was like she had taken the next step closer to being a true warrior!

But her thoughts were interrupted as one of the remaining boards kicked her so hard on her arm that she flew meters away. She landed directly on her face; a thing she was not happy about.

Kung Fu Lesson number one; don't get distracted.

She had just broken that rule.

So she stood up again, this time angry. First they called her kitty, now they humiliated her.

And so she fought.

* * *

Shifu was, honestly, mildly surprised when he found her. A villager had brought him the news about the thieves that had been seen, wandering around in the forest. Seeing that Tigress still had not returned home, he brought the pieces together and understood what she was doing.

But when he arrived, she had already taken care of the job.

Now she was standing in front of him bowing, while her tail was swinging back and forth happily. "Master," she greeted him.

He looked from the unconscious bandits to her again. He cleared his throat and then said, "I see you have taken care of the things here."

"Yes."

He raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"They are the ones who stole the jewelry," she told him and then pointed at the bags that were lying on the ground. "I told them to give me it back, but they refused. Then they attacked."

"And you took down all of them?" he asked her. "Alone?"

She nodded happily.

"I can see that your training have given results," he said with proud in his voice. "For now on, I believe you can go on some missions on your own. Am I correct?"

"Yes, Master," she said, eyes sparkling.

He walked closer and first then he could see the bruise on her arm. "Are you injured?" he asked her, looking her over.

She shook her head. "No, Master. He just kicked me."

"We'll take a look on it when we come home," he told her. "But first, I'll take care of things here. You can go ahead; I'll soon be at the palace."

Tigress took a last glance on the bandits, then nodded, and started to walk towards her home she could see in the distance.

But before she was too far away she heard Shifu call out, "Tigress?" For a moment it seemed like the red panda had troubles with finding the right words. "You… You did… Well," he finally sighed.

With a smile on her face, Tigress walked home.

* * *

A/N: And that was B. What now? I believe you all know… D. Just kidding. Of course it is C.

Please review to tell me your thoughts!

Next letter; C. Next word; Corner.


	3. Corner

A/N: And here is the third chapter. Hope you like it. You might want to know, that the one-shot will change a lot. In some she will be old, and some not. So you can relate to the other one-shots.

I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

**Stripes of a Tiger  
Corner **

She hated it.

She loved it.

Sometimes it was the worst place in the world.

But it was her home.

* * *

"Get back!" the ox said and little Tigress did it, all while hissing. The next second the door was slammed shut, and with a sigh she walked slowly towards her bed.

Swinging her legs while sitting in the edge of her only furniture, Tigress started humming for herself. She was getting used to it. Their yells, their threats.

But somehow it just still hurt.

Hours passed; nothing happened. Things were exactly as usual. Carefully, she let her claws be shown.

A weapon.

Her weapon.

But the tiger cub did not hurt anything. Instead she started making a melody, drumming it quietly by hitting the edge of her bed with her claws.

The nights were always the worst.

Sleeping was never really planned; she spent all her day in her room. Whether she slept during night or during day did not change anything.

There was nothing to wake up to.

She licked her lips as she thought of what she had done today. She had been out. Just some few minutes, but it had been enough.

But that little hope she had been given, a price would follow.

The caretakers would be more careful from now on. They would barely even open the door. They would make sure she would not get the chance of getting away again.

She did not know why they hated her.

Feared or hated or. Right now there did not seem to be a difference between those two things.

But they did not allow her to have any joy.

Tigress looked at her paws. Why? Because of these? Once again she looked at her own little sharp claws. Carefully, she brought the paw up to touch her fangs. Or these?

Was being her really that bad?

Before they had locked her in here, she had once heard fairytales by putting her ear against a wall. Even though the words had been weak, she had never really forgotten them.

At least not all of them.

But the memory had faded, and now she only remembered what fairytales were.

There were the good ones and the bad ones.

Now she understood that she was one of the bad. And the good ones defeated the bad ones. Killed them. It was alright because they were good and the others were bad.

The bad were monsters.

Cruel, heartless monsters.

They called her a monster…

Then when would the good ones come and kill her?

She started breathing faster as she thought about it. Was that her destiny…?

"Monster," she whispered as she tried to figure out the word once again.

It meant strength. She knew that. But it was the bad kind of it.

The bad guys were strong too. Sometimes, they nearly defeated the good ones. But in the end they would always lose.

Apparently, her strength was the bad type. She did not know how it was decided.

She had not taken that decision.

Everybody else had.

She did not use her strength to be bad. At least not on purpose.

She was just trying.

To live. To be herself. To be normal.

But apparently she failed at everything. And failing was bad, and then she became bad too.

And there was no chance of being good again, because she was who she was. She was Tigress. And being Tigress was being bad. But being Tigress was the same as being a monster.

Tigress the monster.

Monster.

The word seemed to fill her mouth, and suddenly she just wanted I to be gone forever. She hated it. She hated herself for being it.

As her claws became hidden again, Tigress crawled off her bed. The room felt smaller than normal, and so she fled to her own little corner.

Nobody could touch her here.

In the start, she had believed that the door would open. That they were going to let her out.

Because she did not deserve such a fate, did she? Staying here forever?

So she had spent her days, staring at the door. Food would be given to her, quickly, and often when she was asleep so she did not notice them.

Then she would continue staring.

But in the end the realization came to her as she understood; the door would not be opened. Not for her.

Then she gave up. Instead of sitting in front of the door, she found her corner.

Those two walls she could stare at were taunting her. Telling her that this was like her life forever would be.

Cold and gray.

But those walls did also protect her.

With them she was safe. She turned her back to those who did not want her. She belonged here.

In her corner.

In the days where she became frustrated, over her situation and over whom she was, she would knock her head against those walls. It would hurt, but the pain would tell her that she still was here.

Even though everybody wished that she was not.

The corner would always be there for her. It could not move.

Just as herself.

They were both trapped here, so she did not see any reason to leave it.

It was just her and her corner.

When she closed her eyes, she could dream of happiness, of a family and a home. She could dream of laughter and joy, but it would always just be a dream.

Because when she opened her eyes the only thing she would see was those walls.

She hated them.

But they were all she had.

And when she was tired, of everything, she would lean her chin against one of the walls, while hoping that things would get better.

The cold always made her shiver.

* * *

Now, out of the orphanage and living in the Jade Palace, Tigress sometimes found herself sitting in the corner of her room.

The walls had changed, yes, but they were still creating a corner.

In the nights where she started doubting herself, she would crawl down there to find some comfort. How much had she changed since the orphanage? Why did she still feel this way?

Monster.

The word never left her mind.

And so she would never fully leave her corner.

* * *

A/N: I know this is depressing, but again; each one-shot will be different. And yes; the Five will come.

Next letter; D. Next word; Daughter.


	4. Daughter

A/N: Yeah… Sorry for the wait. Me plus my parents are all sick… On the same time… Just lovely. But here I am.

Glad you like it. And sorry for the shortness but that is how it's going to be.

**Stripes of a Tiger  
Daughter **

Tigress finally snapped.

She was not proud of it, but now it just finally happened.

It had been a normal morning, and the gong had sounded as usual. Master Shifu had been waiting for his students to show up, which they had done.

All except one.

"Tigress," Shifu muttered as he noticed that the tiger was not there. In a second he was overwhelmed with fear; had something happened? Had assassins been there? Was she kidnapped?

But all those dark thoughts only lasted a second, as Shifu decided to be calm and open the tiger's door. Tigress was there.

She was sitting on her bed, but she did not look up when he entered her room.

"Go to the training hall," he said to his other students without removing his glance from Tigress. "I'll meet you there."

He closed the door behind him, and could hear how his students walked away, doing what he told them to do. Shifu then focused on Tigress, who remained frozen.

"Tigress?" he asked softly, as he walked closer. The feline was staring at her hands that were resting on her knees, and her eyes were widened in frustration.

From what he could see, it seemed like she had gotten no sleep.

"I don't understand," she then said, still not looking at him.

"What do you not understand, Tigress?" he asked her softly.

"What I did wrong!" In a flash her eyes were looking directly into his own. It was like they were burning…

He tilted his head. "What do you mean?" he asked her.

"I do _everything _wrong," she sighed.

"No," he told her. "That is not true."

"Then why am I being punished?" Tigress hissed. "Why is it that I don't deserve it?!"

A pain in the back of his head told him that a part of him knew what this was heading towards. But he still found himself asking, "Please explain."

"If I knew what I did wrong, then I would understand. But without that knowledge it just seems unfair!" she exclaimed, and Shifu wondered for a moment if she had gone crazy.

No. This was just years of thoughts that were finally coming out.

"In Bao Gu… I would break something and people would fear me. That's understandable, though, I wished they could see they were all accidents. I never meant _any _of it! I have spent my whole life trying to make people proud, to be what they wanted, and I have achieved nothing!"

Shifu let his ears drop slightly. "I _am _proud, Tigress."

She shook his head. "No, you aren't," she hissed. "You are just saying that because you think that I have finally lost my mind."

"Then how can I make you believe?"

"You can't!" she snarled. "Because you have always made me believe just the opposite. Why are you suddenly changing?"

Not being able to find the right words, he laid his paw on her knee. But at his touch she stood up to glare down at him. "I've done everything for you! I've trained to me body was bloody and broken, only for you to say that we would continue tomorrow. I've tried, but apparently a failed every time. And why?! Because I am Tigress!"

It was like her mind had gone blank. She had never dared to say these things to anyone, but now it was coming out and she was no longer in control of it.

Like she was throwing up words…

"Tigress the Monster! The monster no one wants… The monster you didn't want!"

Shifu stared at her, mouth open in shock.

"Is it because that I am not Tai Lung? Or because you never thought that I could be the Dragon Warrior?" she asked him. "Because from the moment you saw me you knew I would fail you?"

"You never failed me…"

"Then why am I not good enough for you?" she snarled at him. "When you took me out of the orphanage I was stupid enough to believe that I could be your…" She found herself unable to finish that sentence as the word was too bitter. "But that was never your plan. The others think that you are cold to protect me. But I don't believe that anymore… Because it hurts too much."

"I would not make the same mistake again," Shifu said quietly, thinking about Tai Lung.

"Then how did it work out this time?" she whispered. "Are you happy? Because I am not." Her voice then turned that desperate that Shifu visible flinched. "Why can't I have a family?"

Shifu already knew the answer. Because of himself. But he never had the chance to answer, before she continued,

"Viper has a family. Monkey has. Everybody has. Even Po has, though he first realizes now how important it is and how lucky he was. Even you had a family. Then why can't I? What did I do wrong?"

Shifu truly hoped that the rest of the students were not waiting for him, for he knew that this was going to take a lot of time.

Why did he first start now?

"I am sorry," he told her. "I am so, so sorry." Tears were so close to be shown, but he forced himself to remain calm. "I was a fool when I thought that keeping you on a distance would help both of us. I knew you were hurting, but never this much…"

He took in a deep breath. "It's my fault, Tigress. Not yours. And I am sorry that it was you who had to suffer."

She glanced at him, and he could see curiosity in her eyes.

"I thought that words could hurt, but I now understand that the unsaid words hurt more. But I do love you, and you are my family. I just hope that I am your family too."

Tigress had finally calmed down when Shifu had finished his speech. She continued staring at him in some minutes, but then said, "Father." The word was weird, unused.

"Daughter," he said and suddenly pulled her forward in a hug.

She rested her head on his shoulder, and it was like a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulder. Tigress smiled softly, knowing that she finally had found a family.

But suddenly her eyes flew open, widened in shock.

This was not one of the dreams where she could just let it all out and then wake up to find that nothing had changed, was it?

Tigress could feel Shifu's tears as he too had found something he had been missing, but for Tigress this was pure horror as she understood that his was real.

She had just told her master _everything._

Dear gods… This was nearly humiliating. How could she have…?

But then again, Shifu's hug, his words… Having a father…

Tigress continued smiling again.

Weird as it was, she was happy that this time it was not just a dream.

* * *

A/N: Finished. Not much to say else than remember to check out my new story 'The Cost of A Sacrifice' and that a review to 'Spread Your Wings' never would hurt.

Next letter; E. Next word; Evil.


	5. Evil

A/N: Sorry for the wait; but you should know that I am very busy the next two weeks. My theater has premiere the same time that I have a big assignment for the school. Not a great timing. But here I am!

I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

**Stripes of a Tiger  
Evil **

Tigress remembered the first time she heard his name. She had been down in the village to get some stuff to Shifu. Even though she was just a cub; she had only left the orphanage some months ago; people still stepped back in fear when she walked by.

She had learned to ignore it. She kept telling herself that she now was Master Shifu's student. That she had changed.

But their fear hit her every time; like a needle into her heart. The tiger kept her glance on the ground, using the fastest way to get to the shops she needed to visit.

It was accident that she listened to the two lady pigs' conversation. But as she picked up the word 'tiger' she could not help but go closer.

"…why he would take in an already destroyed soul? I mean, his first student goes crazy, and now he takes in a tiger who has been locked up ever since she was found!"

"I must admit that even I find that stupid. I thought the Jade Palace was supposed to protect us; not creating new dangers."

"Exactly. We do not need a new _Tai Lung_…"

The name was spit out on the same way people had done it with hers. Like it was cursed. Tigress ignored what they said about her, but focused on this 'Tai Lung'. Who was it? What was it?

Did Shifu really have another student?

Remembering why she was there, Tigress quickly finished her little 'mission' and made her way back to the palace. The stairs were still a pain but she was slowly getting used to them. Though, it was late afternoon when she finally returned home.

Shifu did not move from his mediation position when she came near him. "Master," she said, quickly bowing. She remembered how she had once dared to call him 'father'… She would never do that again; so much had she learned.

He was her master, and that was how it should be.

"I got what you wanted," she said quietly, looking at the bags that were filled with fruit and vegetables. She was not sure why she had been the one to get them; normally the servants would do it. But she suspected it to be a part of her training; going up and down the stair was hard work.

Besides, she had been forced into visiting the village; something that would not happen if she could decide. But Shifu wanted her to see the people she was going to protect in the future.

She wondered if he knew that they were still scared of her.

"Good," he said shortly. "No more training for the rest of the day."

Tigress was in a moment filled with joy; she was tired and maybe now she could practice some more on her meditation.

"Yes, Master."

But before she turned around, she suddenly remembered the name. Knowing it would hunt her in her dreams if she did not know the truth, Tigress suddenly asked, "Master, who is Tai Lung?"

She instantly knew she had done something wrong. Shifu's eyes snapped open and his ears lay flat against his head.

Tigress crouched down slightly, walking backwards as she knew she would be punished for this.

"Someone you will _not _mention again," Shifu barked at her, standing up. "Am I understood, Tigress?"

"Yes," she whimpered, trying to pull herself together. "Yes, Master. I'm sorry."

Shifu turned his back to her as he walked away from her. "You are forgiven," he told her, and then started muttering something she could not here as he disappeared into the palace.

Tigress remained where she was, staring after him. What had she done wrong? She had not meant to make him angry. She had just been confused.

Ears dropping, Tigress sighed and sniffed. Something she was not sure if her respect for Master Shifu had turned into fear. She was just so scared of failing…

She thought about Tai Lung the rest of the day. So far she knew he had been Shifu's student and that people did not like him. But where was he now?

When it was time for dinner, Tigress found herself eating it alone. Master Shifu was not there and neither was Grandmaster Oogway. Sighing, the tiger cub stared at her food.

She had truly messed up, right?

And now everybody was ignoring her. Why? Because she had been so stupid… She should have known it was wrong to ask. There was probably a reason why the pigs had acted like they did.

But when she was finished eating, she decided to find the truth by herself. The palace's library… Somewhere Tai Lung had to be mentioned.

So many scrolls… Tigress looked at them, unable to choose one of them. She stood on her toes, trying to reach one of those who were lying at the top of the shelf. But as she did, something caused her to freeze.

"You would think that a little girl like you should be in bed at this time of the evening."

"Oogway!" Tigress was so surprised that she forgot the whole master' part. She quickly bowed. "I didn't mean to… I just…" She bit her lip, unable to finish her sentences.

"Trying to what?" the turtle asked as he slowly walked closer.

Looking into Oogway's kind eyes, Tigress finally revealed her mission. "I just want to found out who Tai Lung is!" To her surprise, Oogway remained calm.

He leaned his head closer to her. "And why do you want that, child?"

"Because…" She sniffed again, wiping away some tears with the back of her head. "Because the villagers said that I would end up like him. That I would go crazy and be a danger…"

The turtle stared at her, but then laid his hand on his shoulder. "Come," he said shortly and she followed him into the Hall of Warriors.

They first stopped when they were standing at the edge of the little pool that was in the floor. "Look," the turtle told her and she glanced at the surface.

"It is me," she said softly. Well, it was her reflection. A tiger, at her age, with the same fur and eyes and fangs and… Then she spotted something else. "What is that?" she asked and looked up at the ceiling.

Oogway stood before her. "What do you see?"

"A scroll. Like those in the library. Just prettier."

The turtle nodded. "Tai Lung saw something else."

There went some time before she dared to ask, "He was a student, right?"

And then Oogway told the story. Tigress was quiet the whole time, eyes big and ears listening. When the Grandmaster was finished, she was stunned.

Even though she could not read Shifu's mind, she now understood him better.

"Was he evil?" she then asked, even though she found the question stupid.

"Choosing the wrong path can lead you into darkness," Oogway said.

"Then I'll choose the right one," Tigress promised herself. First then she was calm enough to go to bed, Oogway wishing her a good night and Shifu still somewhere else, probably meditating.

As she lay on her bed, Tigress was sure that her master thought about Tai Lung. What a betrayal. How could a simple scroll mean so much?

Tai Lung… He had been lucky. He wanted more when Tigress would cut off her own paw to get some of what he had had.

Shifu… A father…

And he had just thrown that away!

That was something to be ashamed about. Staring at the ceiling, Tigress thought of Oogway's words. Something inside of her said that he had been wrong. Tai Lung was evil, even though the master only called it 'choosing the wrong path'.

Evil… because he had hurt Shifu. And he was still hurting. She had seen it today in his eyes when she had mentioned the forbidden name.

And she felt sorry for him.

That night, Tigress promised herself that she would make Tai Lung pay. What he had done was unforgivable. And she was the one to make things right. The snow leopard had broken Shifu's heart; she had to be the one to fix it.

And maybe one day, she would get the Dragon Scroll. Maybe that would help Shifu, make him smile again. And… And if she did not become the Dragon Warrior… then it would be okay. Because she was different.

The villagers were wrong; no matter what, she would not be evil. That was a promise and she was going to keep it.

* * *

A/N: And done. Not exactly as I wanted it, but it's okay. Hope you liked it. Thank you for the support.

Next letter; F. Next word; Friends.


	6. Friends

A/N: I don't know. I just… Write. And I have no idea of which story to update. Sorry, but I am just so tired. Concentrating is like the hardest thing ever. When I get free to school, and have to practice theater in six hours everybody. I am just drained.

But at least I write something.

I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

**Stripes of a Tiger  
Friends **

It had taken some time to get used to them. Suddenly, she was not alone anymore, and she did not know what to think about that.

Viper had been the first to come.

While the snake had been smiling brightly, Tigress' expression had been cold. She had been fifteen when Viper became a student, and the tiger had been at the Jade Palace in almost ten years.

She did not like changes.

But the snake's smile had never faded, and already the first evening she had decided to take a talk with the tiger. It had been… strange.

It had been something new. Something Tigress had never tried before. She was not sure of what to think. In the start she had been suspicious. How could she know if she could trust them?

Friendship did not exist in her world.

"I think you would lovely with some makeup!" Viper exclaimed as they both sat in the snake's room. "Though, with your stripes you don't really need it."

Tigress lifted an eyebrow in response.

Viper started giggling. "Don't you see it?"

The tiger shook her head, remaining quiet.

"You look beautiful," the snake praised her. "Natural. I know I haven't seen a tiger before, but you are like-"

"Please stop," Tigress muttered, ears flattened against her head.

"Why?"

"Because it doesn't matter anyways. Men don't want a woman who can kill him if she wanted."

Viper widened her eyes. "But if there is love, then you will never do that! Not that you would do that at all but-"

"I have eyes," Tigress eyes. "I can see. Also how people look at me." She shook her head to get rid of those thoughts. "Not that it matters; I am just here to protect them."

Viper did not dare to say more, but changed subject. Tigress heard her tell about her family, but the tiger never talked of the orphanage. Viper only got to know because of Shifu who by accident revealed Tigress' little secret about her past.

After Viper came Monkey and Mantis, almost at the same time. They were friends from the first minute. Seeing them laughing together, Tigress knew there would be troubles.

Pranks.

How many times had she roared at them when they pushed her nerves?

But she forgave them. In the end.

Even after that one time where they painted her fur black.

And she had to admit; when someone could fool her then they were quick.

Plus, they could fight. How many times had she tried crushing Mantis with her paw only to find that he could lift it away?

Monkey… How many times had she tried catching him, only to see him disappear up in a tree?

It had taken her some time to get used to them. Especially while training. Laughing or joking had never been a part of it before.

Though, she kept her mask, even while they were there. She had to be the stern one. The one who should look after them.

And so she did.

Even in battles, she would make sure that they were alright, all while fighting her own bandits. It was just to make sure that nothing would happen. That no one would get hurt.

And slowly, without anyone saying it out loud, she became their leader. It just happened naturally.

They listened to her, and she knew what to do.

Then Crane came. He was… different than the others.

Tigress liked him, respected him. He was quiet normally, but sometimes he would open up and laugh with the others. He was loyal and friendly; she admired him for that. No matter how quiet he could seem, he would always be more open than her.

She tried… But they all eventually that it was just how she was. A lone tiger. She was their comrades, she would fight for them. They lived and trained together. They learned that this was just _her_.

The first time they called her their friend, she was mildly shocked. Lying in her bed that night, she kept repeating the word over and over in her brain.

Friend.

She remembered wanting to be that in the orphanage. Later she gave up.

But now she had friends. They became her only friends.

Then Po came…

That was… difficult.

Tigress had to admit that she wanted him gone in the beginning. But as she understood that he actually would stay, she knew she had to change what was going on between them.

She too was tired of the cold silence that was when they were in the same room.

But she just did not know what to do. Even with her friends' encouragement, Tigress still hesitated. The panda was probably already tired of her anyway.

She had not exactly been… friendly when he had arrived.

Then one day she entered the kitchen to eat some tofu in silence, only to find that she was not alone in the room.

"Hey!" Po called from the other end of the room. "Want one too, eh?"

Tigress looked up to see him holding Monkey's jar of cookies. She lifted an eyebrow. "No thanks."

"Sure?" he asked her and put another almond cookie in his mouth.

Seeing the crumbs on his cheek, she replied, "Sure."

"So," he started, too sitting down on one of the chairs. "Rough training today, huh?"

Tigress stared at her paw, suddenly forgetting that she had come to get something to eat. "Tried worse."

"Well, yeah… Can imagine that."

She lifted an eyebrow as she did not understand.

He saw it and explained, "You are… well, you and so gotta… Train...? Hard…? You know what I mean!"

"I see."

"So… Never been tired of training before?"

"Tired from training."

"That's something else…"

"I know."

He tried to read her face, but failed. "I guess you must be used to it. How long time have you trained here? Ten years? Fifteen?"

"Since I was six."

That left him stunned. "That's… Wow."

"So yes; you get used to it."

She rose to leave, suddenly not hungry anymore. As she stood in the doorway, she heard him call out, "That's like really awesome."

And then, she knew she should say it now. And she did. "I apologize for… how I was."

He waved it off. "Nah, that's alright. After all I wasn't exactly supposed to be here."

"But you are, Dragon Warrior."

He grinned. "Thanks."

She gave him a short nod and then turned around the corner. But just as she did, he called again, "See ya later, friend."

Tigress was not sure if she deserved them, but she knew she would give everything for them.

* * *

A/N: And then came the others. Finally. So… What's next?

Next letter; G. Next word; Greed.


	7. Greed

A/N: So sorry for the wait! I don't what happened… I just lost my inspiration, I guess… But now I am back! Did you miss me? I missed me! Wait; that's lame… Well, welcome back me.

I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

**Stripes of a Tiger  
Greed **

"Come on; you know you want to do it." The crocodile kept luring her with those comforting or provocation words.

Tigress just glared at her, unable to move as her paws were bound on the other side of the tree, forcing her back to stay against the trunk.

It was now hours since the bandits had captured her and she was too tired to keep coming up with sharp answers. Instead she was just listening, trying to keep the words away from her mind.

She had to admit one thing though; the leader had truly done some research.

She knew everything! About the orphanage, about the 'monster' title, about Master Shifu's cold behavior, and she knew all about her hope and dreams.

It was like she could read her mind.

"Why even keep fighting for him?" the leader asked her. "You know he wouldn't do the same for you."

Tigress only answered with a small hiss.

"Just think about what we could manage together!" the crocodile exclaimed. "You could get whatever you want! We would be unstoppable! So I ask you again; are you willing to become my partner?"

"No," Tigress answered flatly. The next minute she received quite a punch to the stomach, forcing the air out of her lungs. She gasped, but after some seconds she straightened out her back again.

The crocodile was looking at her with a tilted her head. "I don't want to hurt you. But I need to make you realize that you belong here."

"Sure," Tigress answered. "And punching me is the way of doing that."

"Exactly. You see, a punch hurts, but I think we both know what hurts worse." She brought her face closer to the tiger's. "And I am the not the one who gives you that kind of pain."

When Tigress snarled, she turned away to watch her from a distance. "You know that none of them cares, don't you? That's why they haven't showed up yet. They don't need you. But I do. So why don't you just do what is best for yourself?"

"Because I am a warrior," Tigress answered. And by the look of the crocodile's face, it was clear that she actually had not expected an answer. "And I live to protect."

"Ahh… The whole 'other people come before me' thing? Surely, it must be tough. Never to receive anything. But I guess you don't believe you deserve it."

"You are wasting your voice trying to convince me."

"Then I'll waste my voice. Because I think you deserve something. You have spent your whole life trying to impress someone who doesn't care. Here you will actually feel needed. Don't you want to feel that way?"

Tigress did not feel like answering, so she just sent her a glare.

"The Jade Palace isn't your home. A home is where your family is." There came an evil shine in her eyes. "And you don't have any family. So why stay a place where nobody likes you?"

No answer.

"Join our little 'group' and you will use your strength on something useful!"

"Useful?" Tigress snorted. "Stealing, you mean."

"Who doesn't like money? Oh… Isn't there anything you want?" The crocodile studied. "A family; I know. But I know that they can't give you that."

Tigress looked at her with eyes of ice. "And neither can you."

"But here we will worship your skills. You are needed here; you are wanted! Can't you see that? Don't you want that?"

She wanted it. Not to be feared, but loved. That was the thing she had worked for all her life; love. And each time she had been disappointed.

Now somebody was granting her it.

Why say no?

Because she knew it was wrong. Because she knew that not even here she would be loved. They would worship her, yes, but now love.

And she did not need _their_ love.

She needed to fight them, because they were criminals and she was a Kung Fu Master.

And she would always be that.

"I don't want your money. I don't want your worship. There is nothing that you can give me," Tigress said with a steady voice.

The crocodile narrowed her eyes. "I can grant you death if I want."

Tigress snarled. "I rather want that then everything else you have suggested to give me."

"That's what I hate about you Kung Fu Warriors; always so stubborn. We could have become very good partners." She walked away from her and turned to her warriors that were sitting around a campfire. "Boys!" she called and got their attention. She then gave Tigress a sly look. "Do whatever you want," she told her warriors that rose by the news.

They came closer to Tigress with evil smiles on her faces.

She glared coldly at them while making herself ready. Maybe, if they missed with their swords, they would cut her ropes and she would be free…

She did not have the chance to finish the thought as the first croc faced her, holding a war hammer.

Just as he was about to swing, Tigress suddenly felt the ropes fall to the ground. The next second she had placed her fist in the croc's face and he fell backwards.

Then Tigress found herself surrounded by her comrades, all sending her bright smiles.

"Sorry for being late!" Monkey called as he leapt at the closest bandit.

"Did we miss anything?" Viper asked, placing herself near the tiger.

Po stood beside her too. "I mean except the crazy crocodile lady that tried to make you follow her into darkness. Thanks for staying by us by the way."

Tigress grinned. "You are welcome."

* * *

A/N: I did not like this piece very much, but I just needed to get something out so I can continue. I wrote this like weeks ago, but now I publish it. Await better one-shots from me than this one.

Next letter; H. Next word; Hero


End file.
